Hand drying device



y 1965 G. D. coPPocK, JR 3,193,869

HAND DRYING DEVICE Filed Feb. 28, 1965 INVENTOR. GEORGE D. COPPOCKJR.

United States Patent 3,193,869 HAND DRYING DEVICE George D. Coppoclr .lr., 619 Broadmor Drive, Tempe, Ariz. Filed Feb. 28, 1963, Ser- No. 261,775 7 Claims. (tCi. 564) This invention relates to a hand drying device and more particularly to a hand drying device useful by bowlers to dry the hands and attain a proper frictional engagement of the hand with a bowling ball.

Various devices, including towels, powder bags and other equipment, have been used by bowlers for the purpose of drying the hands so that the bowler may attain a proper frictional grip on the bowling ball. Many of these devices have been used and the relative efficiency thereof depends upon the overall surface area of the de vice used to dry the hands and its capacity to absorb moisture. The bulky devices, such as large towels or the like, are relatively undesirable, while the more compact devices of the prior art, which may be carried in the bowlers pocket, are ineflicient and so small that they are incapable of performing a proper and efficient operation of drying the bowlers hands so that he may attain a proper frictional grip on a bowling ball.

Accordin ly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a very small and compact hand drying bag for bowlers which comprises a great amount of surface area relative to its size and which utilizes diatomaceous earth exuded through the side wall of the bag; said diatomaceous earth also having great water absorbing capacity and surface area and also being dispensible to the hands to dry them and additionally, to provide for a proper coefficient of friction of a bowlers hands with a bowling ball so that he may properly handle the ball.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bowlers :hand drying device comprising a bag containing diatomaceous earth; said bag having fabric mesh between which finer particles of said diatomaceous earth may be dispensed outwardly; said bag also having a large extended surface area nap portion outwardly of said fabric through which said diatomaceous earth may be dispensed whereby the large area nap and the large surface area of the diatomaceous earth efli-ciently absorbs moisture from a bowlers hands while the device itself may be very small and compact and capable of being carried on a bowlers person or in his pocket, if desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel bowlers hand drying device comprising a very small compact bag utilizing .a large surface area nap fabric structure on the outside thereof and a fabric mesh diatomaceous earth dispensing structure inwardly of the nap and containing diatomaceous earth so that the drying device has a two-fold action, including moisture absorption by the enlarged area nap on the outside and the dispensation of diatomaceous earth therethrough to the hands which provides for absorption of moisture by the nap and .also by the diatomaceous earth and further, coats the hands with particles of diatomaceous earth to attain a proper co-elficient of friction of the hands on various articles grasped, including bowling balls.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand drying device comprising an absorbent bag structure containing diatomaceous earth; said bag structure having a mesh permitting dispensation of the diatomaceous earth therethrough to the hands so that the fabric mesh, upon contact with the bands, will absorb moisture which is transmitted to diatomaceous earth internally of the bag and whereby diatomaceous earth, transmitted through the mesh of the bag, to the hands, also absorbs moisture directly upon the surfaces of the persons hands.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hand 3,193,869 Patented July 13, 1965 ice drying device including a novel bag structure comprising a fabric mesh containing diatomaceous earth and an eX- ternal high pile fabric protruding outwardly from the mesh there providing great surface area externally of the bag and a diatomaceous earth dispensing mesh to control the flow of diatomaceous earth from the interior of the bag into said high pile fabric so that the fabric and the diatomaceous earth directly may contact hands of the user to accomplish a two-fold drying action and friction conditioning of the hands.

Qther objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the following specification, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a hand drying device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken from the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing a modification of the bag structure of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a bag 10 is formed of a high pile fabric, such as terry cloth. This bag structure, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, is provided with an internal mesh fabric structure 12 having a high pile fabric 14 comprising loops of thread of fabric internally and externally of the mesh 12. This high pile loop structure provides great extended surface area on the inside and outside of the bag while the mesh 12 is sufficiently open to permit dispensation of diatomaceous earth E6, or other powder such as talc, or the like, from the interior of the bag through the mesh structure 12 into the high pile fabric structure 14. This high pile fabric, intcrnally of the mesh, holds the powder away from the dispensing mesh. The diatomaceous earth 1 6, or other powder such as talc, or the like, is a finely ground fossil structure of diatoms. Fossils of the diatoms comprise small shell-like silicate structures which include microscopic matrix. These matrix structures have innumerable small openings therethrough such that the diatomaceous earth will hold an amount of liquid equal to its weight and yet pour as a dry powder. Additionally, this preferred powder, diatomaceous earth, has asubstantially high co-eflicient of friction when applied to the hands of a person and will, at the surface of a persons hands, absorb a considerable amount of moisture in proportion to the amount of diatomaceous earth dispensed thereon.

The mesh structure 12, of the bag 10, efficiently contains the diatomaceous earth but very slowly dispenses it through to the outside of the bag and into the high pile fabric lops or extended surface area 14 so that a bowlers hands, when covered with perspiration, may contact the surface 14 and even though the bag is small and may be contained in a persons hand, it has great extended surface area loaded with diatomaceous earth powder. This material also having great water absorbing character provides for very rapid drying of a persons hands and this is particularly important to a bowler. The bowlers hands are thus quickly dried and also slightly coated with diatomaceous earth in microscopic form, but which immediately absorbs perspiration on the surfaces of a bowlers hands and also tends to improve the co-efficient of fric tion of the bowlers hands with a bowling ball. This device may also be used by baseball pitchers or batters or any other person requiring hand drying operations during the performance of tasks under high temperature conditions in which the hands tend to perspire. This drying device may also be used as a very compact device for drying hands under other conditions.

It will be seen that the device of the invention is very small, being disclosed in actual size in FIG. 1 of the drawings, so that it may be contained in a persons pocket and is very small, as compared to a conventional hand drying towel J Yet, this device'has extremely great drying capacity and has the novel function of dispensing diatomaceous earth onto thehands at the same time that the. pile, 7

externally of the bag, absorbs moisture thereinto and into diatomaceous earth held in said pile or fabric of great extended area. e i

In the modification of the invention, as shown in FIG. 3

of the drawings, the bag is composed of afabric-mesh" 7 structure 18, similar to the fabric'r'nesh 12. V This mesh 18 may be coarser than the fabric mesh 12 and is also provided with great surface area comprising fabric loops or high pile structure 29, externally of the mesh structure 18. Internally of the fabric mesh structure 18 is finer fabric mesh structure 22 adjacent'to the diatomaceous earth 16. The fabric mesh 22 contains the diatomaceous earth 16 and may be of a mesh to control the'dispensation of the diatomaceous earth into the fabric 18 and highpile fabric structure 20. This construction, as shown in' FIG.

3 of the drawings, permits the use of a particular and precisely woven mesh fabric structure 22 internally of a coarse mesh high pile fabric 20, whereby economy of manufacture may be attained. The simple mesh fabric 22,

may be inexpensive and the wide meshhigh pile fabric structure 13 may be inexpensive relative to thatcorhprising a fabric mesh structure which will be small enough or fine enough to efficiently control the flow of diatomaceous earth 16, or other powder such as talc, or the like,

therethrough.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims. e

I claim:

1. In a hand drying device the'combination ofr'a bagi structure containing powdered diatomaceous earth; terry cloth mesh fabric structure of said bag structure. containing said diatomaceous earth 'and being of dimensions to permit diatomaceous earth to pass through the. said mesh structure; said terry cloth having. structure externally of said mesh-structure comprising loops of fabric coupled to said mesh structure. a i

2. In a hand drying device the combination of: a V

structure'c-ontaining powdered diatomaceous earth; terry cloth mesh fabric structure of said bag structure containing said diatomaceous earth and being of dimensions to permit diatomaceous earth to pass through the said mesh structure; said terry cloth having structure externally of said mesh structure comprising loops offabric coupled to said mesh structure; .a second mesh structure internally vof said first fabric mesh structure disposed to control the flow of powdered diatomaceous earth from the interior of said bag to the external extended surface area of said bag.

i 3. In a hand drying device the combination of: a flexib le bag structure; powdered diatomaceous earth therein; a terry clothmes'h fabric structure of said bag containing said diatomaceous earth and having mesh dimensions large enoughto permit dispensation of diatomaceous earth through said mesh; said terry cloth comprising extended surface fabric 'meansexternally'of said'meshstructure and coupled'thereto.

p 4. In ahand drying device the combination of: a flexible bag structure; powdered diatomaceous earth therein; a terry cloth m'eshfabric structure of said bag containing said diatomaceous earth and having mesh dimensions large enough to permit dispensation of diatomaceous earth through said mesh;.said terry cloth comprising surface fabric means externally ofsaid mesh structure and coupled thereto; said'terry cloth. surface fabric means comprising loops of moisture absorbent fabric.

cloth surface comprising fabric structure externally of said mesh' structure and of moisture absorbent material.

ReferenccsCited by'thc Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,424,649 's/22 Krohn '13282 1,616,197 2/27 Parr "132-82 4/30 Van Sant '15564 X 1,752,765 r V OTHERREFERENCES I McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, volume 4 (1960), (copy in Scientific Library, Card No. TA'4031B75), Diatom, Diatomaceous Earthj pages CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

5. IN A HAND DRYING DEVICE THE COMBINATION OF: A FABRIC TERRY CLOTH BAG CONTAINING POWDERED DIATOMACEOUS EARTH. 